My lenses and going digital

Having resumed my interest in photography after a lengthy break, I see that digital SLRs are all the rage now - I can certainly see the advantages. I also see that Pentax have introduced a digital SLR that accepts all Pentax lenses past and present. This interests me greatly.

My question is, how useful will my current lenses be if I were to purchase the *istDS body only? I am on a tight budget, and if you good folk are of the opinion that I could get by very well without having to buy any more lenses, then I might well take the plunge.

I own the following four lenses:

SMC A 24mm f2.8

SMC A 50mm f1.4

SMC FA 35-80mm f/4.5

Sigma AF 70-300mm f/4.5

Welcome aboard Juno 60.

We've pretty much covered this subject recently and you'll find a number of threads relating to member's experiences.
Your lenses will be perfectly usable but you'll need to bear in mind that the effective focal length is increased by approx 1.5x due to the digital sensor being smaller than the size of a 35mm negative (a 50mm A series lens when used on an *istDS will deliver the same angle of view as a 75mm lens on a 35mm film camera).

The only real compatibility issue you may encounter is with the Sigma but most functions should be ok.

You might prefer the new *istDS2 (a couple of refinements and a better screen) but if you're budget is tight then the original model may be dropping in price or the DL might be more affordable.
All models use the same sensor and deliver equally good results so your decision would be based on price and camera functions and you'll be able to use your existing lenses straight away, whichever camera model you choose!

Oh, and don't forget to buy an SD memory card

Thanks Kimbo, very informative.

I'm not aware of the full Pentax DSLR range - the last photography mag I read contained a review of the then brand new MZ-S! The camera world has moved on since then, that's for sure.

So my 24 mm will effectively behave as a 35 mm on a DSLR (hmmm, not as wide an angle as I like, but certainly useful), while my 50mm will act as a 75 mm (ideal focal length for portrait pics). Not too bad at all.

Optically, will the SMC A's give comparable results to Pentax's new-fangled digital lenses?

I've no experience of the new lenses and have only just acquired an *istDL myself but I suspect that they are very good indeed.
Older A, F and FA lenses have increased in value recently because of their usability on the DSLRs and because the sensor, being smaller than 35mm, gathers the image from the central portion of the lens and therefore doesn't show the poorer quality from the edges that 99% of lenses suffer from.
So, not only are most Pentax lenses very good but the digital slr's get the best possible results from them.

Undoubtedly, Pentax will eventually release a full 35mm size DSLR and assuming that they keep the K-mount format, the 35mm lenses will still be usable but today's digital lenses will be less practical!

Lawks, I think I need one of these *istDS cameras now. Badly.

Thanks for your informative responses Kimbo.

You're most welcome and I'm sure you'll be delighted when you take the plunge!

I've owned a Trust 910Z powercam (digital zoom compact) for nearly two years and think it's terrific - quality Samsung lens, Sony sensor, 5MP effective resolution etc. and can't fault it for the price.
Now with the DL, I can use my K-mount lenses and take a step up to proper slr type photography with no wasted film and total control over the end result - brilliant

I'm afraid I don't share Kimbo's certainty that Pentax will produce a full-frame K-mount DSLR.

They HAVE announced a 645 DSLR (or rather, a camera that has a large chip and takes 645 lenses).

Most full-frame DSLRs have gone (Kodak and Contax), and Nikon shows no sign of producing one. Only Canon makes them and they are expensive.

Meanwhile, pixel counts for APS DSLRs (like Pentax) are increasing, and new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the APS format are coming out all the time.

Who knows what the future will bring, but my money is on the APS format, not full-frame.

The new D lenses are very sharp, and are said to be less prone to chromatic aberration than normal lenses. Having said that, I have seen very little sign of CA on any of my lenses.

George

Well, I suppose an APS size sensor with 10+ megapixels would satisfy the needs of most pro's and it would be nice to see Pentax DSLRs being used in the media etc.
I think Canon ought to be challenged in this area and perhaps Pentax should produce a full 35mm sized flagship model!

The problem is, Kimbo, that what we'd like, and what's actually going to happen, are not necessarily one and the same.

If there is no market for a Nikon full-frame SLR, there must be even less of one for a Pentax. The cost would have to be £3,000 or so, at least, and how many people are going to pay that? The answer is: not enough to make it profitable.

But I think we'll soon see a Pentax 10 or 12MP DSLR in APS format. "Soon" of course, is an elastic term, but I'd stick my neck out and say by Spring next year. It will probably have image stabilisation in the body.

George

Point taken George, but I'm not so sure that £3,000 is too high for the pro's.

In '97, a mere eight years ago, a 6MP SLR (Kodak EOS DCS1) had a price tag of almost £23,000. I don't suppose they sold many but the camera did exist and a 1.75MP camera cost over £4,000 at that time.

Incredible how things have progressed, isn't it?

You will have to manually focus your A lenses just like you do now, but they will have full functionality with the DSLR.

Older M, K and m42 lenses can only be used in Manual exposure mode with a custom function set on the camera. It's like using them on a manual camera like the MX. They will also only use center-weighted metering.

But your A lenses will be able to meter in all modes. You use the focus confirmation function as if it were a microprisim or split-image spot.

The next version of the chip used in the Pentax and Nikon DSLR's is to have 12 megapiels. That ought to be enough to keep you going for a while!!

So basically, my A's will have all the functionality that they have with my MZ-50 - only they will be mounted on a digital camera with a more sophisticated metering system. Fabtastic! When I get my *istDS, I'll probably use the 50/1.4 and 24/2.8 more than my 35-80 - they tend to give me better pictures.

I just love the idea of going digital without giving up my existing kit. Nice work Pentax. I honestly had no idea about the compatibility of DSLRs with old lenses until about 5 days ago - goes to show how detached I have been from the world of photography these last few years.

Are the Nikon, Canon and Olympus DSLRs also compatible with their older lenses?

Not really. Nikon claime that older lense can be mounted on new cameras, but metering options are limited or not available. Some of the older Nikons will not mount on newer cameras at all.

Canon has changed their mount, the older lenses are not usable on new cameras.

Olympus has gone to a totally new system (a very good one, in fact) but you'd have to buy ALL new lenses.

Pentax quietly managed to keep metering options (center-weighted only) with lenses so ancient they're older than most people on this board. A or later lenses retain full functionality and all metering options, M lenses must be used in Manual mode with center-weighted metering (they are manual lenses. DUH). And an adapter will let you use old screw-mount Takumar, Praktika, and even Leica lenses, with stop-down metering (which is how most of them were designed anyway).